William Audley Couper papers

I would positively object to his going with me further William & myself dined at the Cunninghams the today after dinner we called - that is Sarah & myself at the Goodwins Johnstons, Hamiltons Boroughs' & William took tea with us - I fear I have offended Mrs. D^r Fraser she has been twice to see me & I have not been able to return her calls. But I can't help it. It seems M^r Bourke did not send the cage or birds - I hope he will not neglect to send the cage by William. As you may be obliged to put my birds in cages before I get back. Not knowing the condition of things at Retreat I can of course say nothing more than that I have left all in the hands of a merciful God! humanly speaking. I know you will do all in your power for me. I only beg you will let your own health be your first consideration. Oh! my Tootee I do believe my head cannot be right. I feel no dependance on my own judgment I feel like a vessel tost [sic] on the waves - to be driven as the wind or circumstances may. May the God! of mercies be our guide in all things both temporal & spiritual - & ere long bring us all together once more in health & happiness ------

I find that I cannot enclose Florence & Virginias [sic] letters to you as I sent them to Amanda to read & she has not returned them. The [sic] say no more definitely of your dear Father than Lord does - I can only hope you may hear from dear Butler more particularly, as your dear Father's time will be but limited - I can scarcely suppose he will come south now that there is a prospect of his meeting so many of us at the North. It does seem hard that you my beloved my precious child should be deprived of the

[top right] San Francisco 16^th June 1852

My Dear Florence

I regret that the nature of my official duties is such as to compel me to write under an annoying press of business - My letters, therefore, are of no interest or value - I should like to say a thousand things which might amuse and possibly enstruct [sic] you but I constantly find myself in the gin-horse round of business thoughts which drive all other ideas out of my stupid head - I think two mails have arrived without a letter from you - I suppose you have the excuse, for not writing, that your studies prevent and I can well imagine they do - I have no fault to find - I only beg you to write whenever you can, if it is but two lines. Your dear mother informs me, she has requested M^r & Mrs Couper to take you home with them - I mean Georgia, Virginia

and yourself - I am quite well pleased that you should go - You and Virginia can return to N.Y. or Philad^a and finish your studies - Lord will probably be with you at home and you will all cheer your dear mother and make her happy once more - I hope Butler and myself will be home next winter, so that, if it please Providence, we will have a merry house - Dear Butler has been quite sick with the mumps for some days past. He is now recovering and is quite comfortable. If you receive this before your departure from Philad^a I beg you will take with you such books as will enable you to persue [sic] your studies - including music - with the assistance of Georgia. Thus will enable you to enjoy home and improve ^ your mind at the same time - How do you and Virginia like music - Singing, in particular?

[centered, in pencil] [Mrs. William Audley Couper Frederica P.O. St. Simons Isld Georgia]

[top right] Philadelphia 19^th June 1852

My own dearly beloved daughter,

After a most delightful passage of 60 hours we arrived safe in the much famed City of Philadelphia - from which I this very moment wish myself one thousand miles from. We got to the wharf too late to leave the boat last night. From dear Lordys [sic] letter which I sent you I expected every moment to see him- perhaps your adored father come on board, but hours past [sic] & no enquiry "for Mrs. King" At twelve we retired to our beds - As soon as it was light this morning dear William was up on shore to try & find the whereabouts of Lord or the girls - he could not succeed - returned to us with carriages and brought us to Jones' Hotel. As soon as they got their breakfasts M^r Woolley - William & the boys were off again in search of the girls - called at No 15 Washington Square & returned to tell us that - the Picots believed that the young ladies were 50 miles off at Allentown. The day wears away & we can hear nothing of your dear Father or Lord. I think William intends returning in the "State of Georgia," which will be the aerli earliest opportunity by sea which will offer. God! grant he may reach you safe but for the dread of endangering the lives of your dear Sisters I would take them & return home as fast as Steam could carry me. I am already heartily sick of this horrid place And then my Tootee I am so miserably anxious about your be-loved Father. I would I had heard nothing of his contemplated return until I could have heard of his safe arrival. Oh! my Child how utterly miserable I am. I am like a ship in the midst of a stormy ocean without chart or compass or even a rudder to guide me right. Oh! that I could leave all in the hands of an all wise director, & he resigned to all his wisdom may see fit to order. I said we had a pleasant passage - it was so in every sense of the word. The Ship & Capt unexceptionable the fare sumptuous - the attendance unexceptionable

not one of our party were sick enough to lose a meal. All were cheerful I was dragging myself from much that was dear to many who were are as dear to me as you are my child - your Father even more so who I have not only been disappointed in meeting here but of whom I can hear not a sylable [sic]. You can scarce imagine the terrible state I am in. May God! have mercy upon me !!! ________

William is perfectly well & devoted to my me. If he had not come with me we would have been in a bad fix. It is bad enough as it is. But would have been far worse had I been without him. As Amanda says our good friend Woolley is easily confused The boys are like fish out of water, & poor Rhina no better pleased than I am, her health is improving - I do not know why I am writing to you this morning. The fact is I am so utterly miserable I want to pour out my heart - my thoughts to you my darling. I can't think or look for anything else but further trouble. God! forgive me if I sin in this.

We left Savannah at 7 o'clock, but early as it was M^r Bourke was able to get your dear letters out of the office. Thank you my precious child for all your devotion to me & mine. William is much disappointed at not having received a letter from you. He went to the P.O. this morning but found no letter. I have no doubt you have written to him. As with Cousin A. M^r Woolley & the boys have just gone out for a walk & to see the curiosities of this babel. If by going out I could hope to find husband sons or daughters I would travel barefoot to New York. Oh! this dread of some thing wrong. Why is not Lord here to meet us? Why do I hear nothing from or of your Father? As bad as matters were at home, I had better have staid [sic] there. Dearest Tootee how different would have been my feelings - how diffferent this letter - had I been so fortunate as to have met your Father Sisters & Brothers here. I have begged William to keep his eyes & ears open to

I have just seen a letter from Florence & Appy to Susan Hopkins saying Henry King had received a letter of more recent date from your Father - who has given up coming home before November. I really wish I had not heard the first report - Here have I been expecting hourly to see him & now to find I have still months to wait. This is hard! _______

I think it more than probable that we will start off by Monday morning at furthest for Allentown. In that event I will get William to go with us to see the girls - My own dear child I am severely tried, there does seem no longer any peace for me. But for my childrens [sic] sake I will try & [calm] my shattered nerves ---

[top right] Allentown 23^d June 1852 - Wednesday

My own dearest Tootee,

Here we all are, Mother, Cousin Amanda, M^r Woolley, Lord, Floyd, Tip, Georgia, Florence, Virginia & last of all good Rhina, all now wanting are all you beloved ones on St. Simons, with the dear ones in California, & poor Mal in New Haven. Dearest Mother is much better, all the rest are quite well, Mother had a dreadful headache last night, but she feels nothing of it to-day - we are all so perfectly happy to see them all once more, & if nothing happens in the fall, & we all return home, won't we be happy? Father in his last letter to Uncle Henry says he will leave California for good in the fall, & Butler too - This is the day brother William was to leave for dear old S^t Simons - (How I wish it was the day for us all to return) I was sadly disappointed at not seeing him, we hoped to the last that we might see him - He is in my opinion one of the noblest of God's creatures - I was very anxious to see him - all the little things we had got to take to your dear ones, I had hoped to send by him ---

Mother does not seem nervous now - I pray she may soon be well. Yesterday afternoon we all went to see dear cousin & M^r Woolley - when we went there, they both were asleep, but after a while they awoke, & we had a long talk, telling them all of our troubles & c---- Cousin Amanda & M^r W.

to send by William but - I was so confused while he was with me. I hardly knew what I was after. Georgia tells me she sent two trunks by Adams' Express to the care of Messrs Andersons & Co. She expected them to reach me before I f left. Now the girls will require their cloaks before they get home - it will be less expensive for me to get them back than to get new ones - therefore my darling - if these things reach you - please pack in one of the trunks the 3 cloaks - the 4 bonnets the dress intended for me the caps for Amanda & myself, & send them back. I will write to you again in a day or two & may be able to give you clearer instruction. William mentioned that Hamilton will probably come North as soon as his parents return home. Now if he would have the goodness to take charge of this trunk it will be doing me a real favour - take the chance of sending me one of your dress's - one of Anna's, Willie's - Bell's, I have & you can tell me if dear Cooney has grown any. I hope the dress the girls sent you for Anna fitted the precious child. These girls are talking so much nonsense around me I hardly know what I am writing. I believe that dear William will attend to all my interests at home. But I will write more fully another time. As William will tell you I already feel better - tho' last night I experienced had a terrible headache. Rhina is much better - but is as home sick as I am I can scarce believe it is not yet 2 weeks since I left home. I hope all may yet end well. I will try & hope for the best. Oh! that I could just peek first at you & the babies & then at the poor people

With interest at 7 per cent, payable annually on the 1^st of January each year. The first payment of $10.000 to be forfeited in the event of ultimate failure to pay the $ 44.000, and the debt to be cancelled be that for feiture, provided the interest is annually paid. Possession to be given on the 1^st of January 1853 - but if the cotton crop is not then ready for market the hands are to be employed in it until it is ready, and for which no charge is to be made. The corn & pease [sic] on hand on the 1^st of January to belong to Miss Corbin. If the $10.000 is paid be-fore the 1^st January 1853, interest at 7 per c. will be allowed on it.

I expect to be in New York on the 8^th of July and to sail for Savannah in the Alabama on the 10^th as I wish to give M^r Corbin your decision before leaving the North. I shall be glad to hear from M^r King by the 8^th of July, di-rected to the care of M^r J. Couper Lord, 49 South 8^th N. York

I observe William's name among the arrivals at New Y. yesterday, and whence infer your safe arrival at Philadelphia, where you no doubt met Lord, as he called on us Fri-day evening in New York.

[centered] Copy. [a subtraction sum, written in pencil] 115 [-] 72 [=] 43

[top right] Saratoga Springs 24 June 1852

My dear Mrs King

Immediately on the receipt of M^r King's letter, through William, on the subject of the purchase of Hamilton, I placed his offer before M^r Corbin, the Trustee of his daughter Miss Isabella H. Corbin. Before his reply to it was obtained I heard of the expected return of M^r King, and immediately after of your intended visit to Philadelphia. Hoping to have met with M^r King in New York, I thought it better to communicate with him personally rather than by letter: but, being disappointed in this, and not having any assurance of the time of M^r King's arrival, I have concluded to address you, as the surest way of placing M^r Corbin's views before you both as early as possible.

M^r Corbin declined selling at $50.000 and at 6 per c. interest; but will, if he concludes to sell at all (which is probable, but as yet dependent on some other arrangements) he will take $12.000 for the lands, buildings &c at Hamiton & Couper's Point, $350 per head for the negroes, being now 115 or 118 less 3 children belonging to the Hopeton gang, - say for 115 $40.250 - and for the Hog-e-rack tract of 100 acres of pine $100. Tools, carts, flats, boats, horses, mules, & cattle $16.50 - together $54.000. The payments to be $10.000 on the 1^st of January 1853______________$10.000 on the 1^st of January 1854_____________________$10.000 on the 1^st of January 1855______________________10.000 on the 1^st of January 1856______________________10.000 on the 1^st of January 1857______________________10.000 on the 1^st of January 1858_______________________4.000 ___________________________________________________ ____________________________________________$54.000